


The Dragon Beneath The Jasmine Dragon

by robodork



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Catharsis, Dragons, Episode: s03e13 The Firebending Masters, Gaang (Avatar), Gen, Implied Autistic Character, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, Post-Canon, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar), Transformation, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko/Mai Break Up, mostly canon compliant anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25342807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robodork/pseuds/robodork
Summary: Aang and Zuko return to the ancient civilization of the Sun Warriors to learn more about the ancient firebending techniques, but a vengeful slain dragon spirit has other plans for them.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & The Gaang (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Mai & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 4
Kudos: 111





	1. Chapter 1

Zuko had not believed Aang at first when the Avatar had told him that he knew where more Sun Warrior ruins lay. After some badgermoling (and Aang’s impressive puppy eyes), they were on Appa’s back and flying to where Aang had supposedly seen the ruins.

“You took down my father singlehandedly during the comet. Why do you still want me to be your teacher?” Zuko asks after they’ve been in the air for some time.

“I mean, I was kind of in the Avatar state for that,” Aang says sheepishly. “It was life or death. I don’t think I can just do that in a no-pressure situation, you know?”

“I guess,” Zuko says.

“Can I call you Sifu Hotman now?” 

“No!” Zuko says quickly, then regrets it. “I mean, maybe. No.”

Aang looks confused but doesn’t pursue the topic any further. He takes Appa down closer to the ground and maneuvers him at an angle, pointing to something on the ground below. The ruins. Zuko understands quickly why he hadn’t spotted them before -- the last time they had flown over this way, the ruins would have been on the side his scar was on. His vision in that eye was limited.

These ruins are less grand than the ones where the dragons reside, though still beautiful and intricate in their architecture, and Zuko and Aang figure that the remaining population of Sun Warriors had all vacated the premises in favor of their most holy city. Appa lands in what appears to be a vacated plaza, the cracks between the stones in the road filled with rapidly growing flowers and weeds. It smells like iron and faint herbs. Aang slides down onto the ground gracefully while Zuko takes a few seconds to clamber down, dizzy from the flight. He’s sure he prefers it on the ground. Aang pities him. They wander around for a bit when it begins to rain and they are forced to take cover. Aang leads Appa under an outcrop, then drags Zuko into what he hopes is some sort of holy structure. If they have to take shelter, then maybe they can at least do some poking around for old texts while they’re at it. And they’ve had a stroke of luck.

The building they’ve stepped into has open windows but they’re so high above that the only rain that comes in is a light mist. It chills Aang’s exposed skin and causes Zuko’s layered clothes to begin to stick to him. He pulls his robe away from himself as Aang rushes excitedly towards a wall, yelling, “Zuko, look!”

Zuko is instantly pulled away from the feeling of his damp clothes as he spots the carvings in the walls. Though the floor is devoid of any seats or tables, the walls are adorned with tapestries, encased scrolls, and even carvings in the stone. All are clearly firebending moves. They are similar in movement to the Dancing Dragon in that they are fluid and twisting, almost like waterbending, but faster, more forceful. Zuko is drawn to one scroll in particular, behind a cover of rough glass most likely blown by the Sun Warriors themselves. His hands shake in wonder and excitement as he slowly lifts the lid. The writing is in a language he barely recognizes but somehow he’s understanding it. It seems to be a variation on the Dancing Dragon, an alternate version. Zuko picks up the withering parchment before he can think, trying to absorb its contents to the fullest. Aang turns to see this, amused at first by his fascination, then panicked when he sees Zuko begin to glow brighter than a festival lantern. “Uh… Zuko?” Aang asks.

Zuko turns around. “What?” He doesn’t seem to be aware that his entire body is becoming engulfed by a burning orange-gold until it reaches his neck. He makes a panicked sound, waving his arm violently as if to put out a fire. “What’s happening? Help me, Aang!” He sounds somewhere between furious and panicked.

“I don’t know how!” Aang says, looking around wildly like he hopes the solution will materialize in the doorway. 

Zuko’s words are drowned as the light fully envelops him. Aang shields his eyes as the fiery glow rises with a dragon-like roar. Once it dies down, a shadow falls over Aang and he looks up, hands clamped to his mouth.

In the place of Zuko is a dragon.

It’s smaller than the ones they encountered in the other city, but imposing nonetheless, with deep blood red scales and black whiskers and horns tipped with shimmering gold. The scales around one eye are melted down, as are spots scattered up and down its forelegs and in the center of its chest.

“Zuko?” Aang asks. “Sifu Hotman?” It certainly does look like him. The scars are all in the right places.

Zuko’s golden eyes are wide with fright and he seems unsure of what to do. He opens his mouth as if to speak to Aang, but all that comes out is an unintelligible roar that blows Aang back a couple paces. His breath smells like the inside of a volcano and Aang chokes on it. He gets the sentiment, though. Zuko isn’t hard to read. He doesn’t know what’s happened any more than Aang does, and is most likely panicking. Aang has gathered that Zuko is an impressively anxious person. Zuko shrinks down a bit from his haunches. His body is awkwardly long compared to his legs and it takes him a minute to figure out a natural position at eye level with Aang. He tries to speak again but it’s all nonsense growls when he tries to form words. Aang can’t understand him like he understands Appa, which makes him anxious because  _ how are they going to explain this  _ and  _ what will Zuko need and will he be able to get it  _ and  _ oh spirits my friend is a giant dragon.  _ Aang wills himself not to be sucked into Zuko’s own anxious energy as he paces, wondering what they can do. It’s not like they can leave until it stops raining anyway, and it’s looking like it won’t until nightfall. Aang is still mentally exhausted from his fight with Ozai, and the best he can resolve to do is just bring Zuko back to Ba Sing Se and see what everyone else thinks. Surely Iroh will have some wise words about this whole thing.

Zuko was never a good conversationalist as a human, so it doesn’t come as much of a shock that he’s not as a dragon either (not that he can speak). He’s a quiet, watchful presence, his eyes cutting catlike through the increasing darkness. He sits on his haunches with his head raised slightly upwards. Faint steam rises from his scales. Aang goes to check on Appa while Zuko continues to brood, wishing he could speak. His mind buzzes with questions and worries so intense none can register individually. He snorts an angry stream of flame, suddenly furious with himself for being so eager to look at that scroll.  _ This is your own fault,  _ his conscience tells him, and he believes it.

When the rain stops, Aang and Zuko venture out into the chilled evening air, knowing their only option is to turn back. “So, you don’t fit on Appa…” Aang begins, but Zuko is ahead of him.

He unfurls his leathery wings, flapping them experimentally. Aang laughs in amazement, though it’s drowned out by the beat of Zuko’s wings. He climbs up onto Appa, rising into the air and waiting for Zuko to join them. He’s clumsy as a fledgeling, lifting off for a second then hitting the ground in a mess of wings and tail and limbs. He spits fire, then tries again. It takes Zuko several attempts and a goose-like running, flapping start before he’s securely in the air next to Aang and Appa, clearly unappreciative of their amusement at his lack of grace. Aang laughs until Zuko snaps at him and he’s quiet for the rest of the flight. Zuko’s guilt from before returns, embarrassed at his lack of handle on his emotions. Even as a human he snaps and snarls, and of course people recoil from it. He’s just not sure how to stop doing it. 

As they fly, some of Zuko’s anxiety lessens. Aang can tell he enjoys being in the air. His posture is no longer tense and he’s riding the currents much more smoothly than he had been earlier. His mouth is slightly open, tasting the wind and humidity.  _ I understand why you like flying now,  _ Zuko wants to say to Aang. He wishes he could adopt the same enthusiasm that Aang has, but it doesn’t feel natural for him. Aang takes the lead once the wall is in sight, making sure Zuko has enough cloud cover to land without being spotted. Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Mai are all waiting as planned at the base of the western entrance to Ba Sing Se. Sokka strains his eyes and finds only Aang and Appa. His heart drops. “Guys, where’s Zuko?” He asks, voice cracking.

“I don’t feel him. I feel something else, though. Something big.” Toph replies, then yawns. They were supposed to have had their rendezvous at the wall hours ago.

“Like a giant dragon?” Mai asks, and for a split second everyone thinks she’s made a joke until she points back at Aang and Appa and they see the dragon behind them.

“Oh my spirits,” Sokka says, “It  _ ate Zuko.” _

“No, you dumbass, that  _ is  _ Zuko!” Katara reprimands, and they realize she may be right.

It certainly looks like Zuko, if he was a 24 foot long dragon, but all the same Sokka’s hand is on his shiny new boomerang. They watch as Aang and Appa smile and wave, and the dragon that might be Zuko starts to look shy. Aang pulls him forward by a whisker when he hangs back, intending to hide under a wing. Zuko tugs himself out of the Avatar’s grip, almost knocking him backwards. The rest of the group recoils. “No, it’s okay!” Aang assures them. “It’s Zuko. He just…. Looks different.”

“You’re telling me that’s Zuko?” Suki asks in disbelief. 

Aang pulls a face. “Yeah. We don’t really know what happened but I guess he’s a dragon now,” His tone is not reassuring. “We were looking at old firebending scrolls and then there was all this glowy light and now he’s like this.”

He punctuates the last word with a half-hearted gesture towards Zuko the dragon. The Gaang’s faces range from bemused to downright distressed. Zuko is most concerned about how he’s going to get into the city without being spotted, though he can’t tell anybody that, so he begins to claw at the ground. He’s dug down about two feet before Toph catches on. “A tunnel! We can get him into the city by making a tunnel.” She says.

They all step back as Toph plants her feet down and begins to push the hole deeper into the ground, wide enough so that they can all fit with a bit of wiggle room. She takes the lead, venturing down into the darkness below the city. Aang presses his head to Appa’s, telling him to go to Iroh so he doesn’t have to go down into the tunnels. He licks Aang and sets off for the Jasmine Dragon.

Zuko is last to go in. The walk is long enough already, but it feels longer when his body is elongated. His back legs feel miles away. Occasionally he huffs out a few sparks to provide more lighting. After a while, Mai hangs back to stand next to Zuko. She gives him a tiny awkward smile and he attempts to return it but it just looks like a snarl so Mai ends up just facing forward, looking uncomfortable.

When they reach the Jasmine Dragon, it’s midnight, and the basement storeroom looks eerily dark. There’s one sputtering candle on the wall that distorts everyone’s vision as they emerge from the underground tunnel and into the tea shop. They crowd into the basement and all jump at the frustrated growl coming from the hole. The basement is too small to stand in, and only Zuko’s front half sticks out of the ground. They don’t even need to fetch Iroh -- he’s already running down the stairs at an alarming speed to see his tea isn’t damaged in whatever the ruckus is. He breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of unscathed boxes, then freezes when he sees the dragon in the middle of his basement. 

“Hi Mr. Iroh, Sir, Uncle -- I can explain!” Aang stammers.

Iroh is certainly not angry, although he was just about to fall asleep and now there’s a fire-breathing reptile in the storeroom of his tea shop, so he’s still not sure how to respond. The Gaang parts for Iroh as he approaches his nephew. “Zuko?” Zuko lowers his head to Iroh, who puts his hand on his muzzle. “What exactly happened here?”

“Zuko and I, we were going to find some old firebending scrolls, and he found one and started glowing and now he’s a dragon,” Aang says, spewing his words in a hasty rush.

“Ah. Oh, dear. That’s not good. But first, you need to sleep,” Iroh responds thoughtfully as ever. “Feel free to stay down here tonight.”

The Gaang is taken aback by his brief answer, but they know he’s right. Iroh pats Zuko’s cheek and retreats to his apartment upstairs, leaving them in the dark. Zuko feels uncomfortable and strangely ashamed. He can’t communicate and he had wanted to remain small and unnoticed for as long as he could before the coronation, which was in just over a week. He doesn’t know his own body either, which is troublesome. He has a hard enough time figuring out what he feels or needs already. 

Toph ends up widening the end of the tunnel into a cave where they can sleep a bit more comfortably, then makes herself a tent and within minutes is under it snoring away. Little by little they all make their own spaces and fall asleep, except for Zuko, who looks around awkwardly, unsure of what to do with himself. He ends up wandering back down the tunnel, and he’s not sure why until he realizes he’s caught a scent. He follows it for several feet before pinpointing that he’s hungry and craving whatever is below is paws. He feels disgusted with himself as he claws for a snack. He can barely stomach raw fish, avoids bread crust, and turns up fruit unless it’s cut. And yet still, he digs up a nest of beetles, recoiling at the legs. Zuko is about ready to gag when he returns to the cave, horrified at his newly developed dragon diet. He goes so far as to make sure there are no more beetle legs or vole whiskers on his tongue before coiling up like a snake next to Mai and falling into an uneasy sleep. 

He dreams about Roku’s dragon all night.


	2. Chapter 2

Against everyone’s advisory, Sokka pokes Zuko awake in the morning with the end of his boomerang, holding in laughter till his face is as red as Zuko’s scales. Zuko shoots up from his coiled position with an angry roar and almost immediately his head hits the ceiling, showering everyone in a thin layer of sediment. His vision swims from the painful impact. 

Upstairs, the work day is just beginning, and Iroh freezes as every cup in the shop rattles dangerously. The man he’s serving slops a bit of his tea onto the table. “What was that?” The man asks.

“I don’t know,” Iroh responds as he wipes down the table, bracing himself in case it happens again. “Must be Earthbenders.”

He’s pretty sure he knows what it actually is but he would rather not alarm his customers or give away his nephew’s predicament to the public.

“Sorry! Don’t torch me, please!” Sokka squeaks in Zuko’s direction, shielding his face.

Zuko has no intention to, though he’s not particularly happy about waking up the way he did. He shoots a glare at Sokka as he lowers his head. Mai is at his side with a cup of tea and a small fruit tart, no doubt courtesy of Iroh. Everyone else is in varying stages of waking up and eating breakfast, so Zuko just sits awkwardly with the rest of them until Iroh comes down with two more cups of tea, greeting everyone graciously and with enthusiasm. He plunks himself down on a rock on Zuko’s other side, setting one of the tiny cups in front of his nephew. It’s much too small. He’s not sure how Iroh didn’t anticipate this. He stares at his uncle until he finishes sipping his own tea and notices. “What is it? Do you not like green tea?” He asks.

Zuko looks down at the cup of tea in front of him, which is not even the size of one of his talons.  _ It’s way too small, Uncle. How am I supposed to drink this?  _ Iroh still looks a bit confused, so Zuko ends up trying to lick the drink out of the cup and knocks it over on its side, knowing he would never be able to pick it up with his claws without breaking it. Iroh deflates a bit as he takes the cup back. “Sorry about that,” He says. “I’m a bit frazzled this morning. Somebody decided to start a rumor that there's a fight ring in the basement.”

“What? Why?” Katara asks, then remembers Zuko’s unfortunate wakeup call. She punches Sokka in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” He squawks. He clearly had not been paying any attention.

“You made Zuko hit his head and now the Jasmine Dragon is in trouble  _ again,  _ Sokka,” Katara says angrily.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry Mr. Iroh. I’m sure I can fix this,” Sokka says.

“It will be just fine. The Jasmine Dragon is going to be here as long as I am. Which should hopefully be a good long while!” Iroh responds cheerily. Sokka internally breathes a sigh of relief at his tone.

Eventually Iroh leaves them to their own devices and Aang decides that the Jasmine Dragon might not be the best place to be during the day. The group splits off -- Sokka, Toph, and Suki head into the city to counter rumors and speculation while Aang, Katara, Mai, and Zuko head for the Western Air Temple to spend the day in a more spacious area. Zuko, for once, is excited to fly again. Aang and Katara help Mai onto Appa’s back while Zuko tests his wings once more. After a night in a cave, he’s happy to have such free movement, and this time he’s in the air before Appa. Mai watches him as he soars in a circle, waiting for Appa to meet him in the air. “He seems happy,” She observes dryly.

“Yeah! He’s flying better than yesterday too. Wait, I have an idea. Katara, take the reins!” Aang says, eyes flashing with excitement at his idea in the middle of his sentence.

Katara barely has time to react as Aang stands up in the middle of the saddle with his glider, taking a running start and leaping into the air, joining Appa and Zuko. Appa starts to veer off course but Katara remembers she has the reins just in time and pulls him back on track, not sure whether to be amused or not by the Avatar’s antics. Though he’s obviously grown up a lot more, she sees a lot of that little boy she went penguin sledding with in him as he laughs in dizzy delight at flying with a dragon. Katara can’t help but laugh a little too.

“Not a dull moment with you guys, huh?” Mai asks.

Katara is surprised at first but realizes she’s being genuine. “I mean -- I guess not. Did you ever have fun with Azula?” She lowers her voice, hoping Zuko can’t hear them.

Mai shrugs. “Mostly when we were younger. She was my friend, mostly, but she just got weird. You seem much nicer than her.”

“Thanks, I think. Glad you came to your senses,” Katara says.

“Me too,” Mai says, smiling wider than she ever has in their presence.

“So, Zuko, huh? Your boyfriend is gonna be the Fire Lord,” Katara asks, curious about Mai's feelings. She’s been awfully quiet about him.

“I guess so,” Mai says, breaking eye contact. She fiddles with the hem of her robe.

“What do you think?” Katara asks. She’s not sure if Mai is avoiding something or if she’s just missed the cue.

Mai glances up to make sure Zuko isn’t paying attention, and whispers, “I was actually going to break up with him. I really like him but I just don’t think it’s going to work. And politics just really aren’t my thing, anyway.”

“Oh!” Katara says. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay,” Mai assures her. “He’ll be okay too. I think he likes your brother, anyway.”

“What?” Katara hisses, hoping her voice won’t carry. “How do you know this?”

Mai shrugs vaguely and ignores the rest of Katara’s prying. Eventually she gives up and the conversation continues without any mention of Zuko or Sokka.

***

Back in Ba Sing Se, the remainder of the group has been walking all around the city, eavesdropping and snooping as much as they possibly can, without much luck.

“Wait, I have an idea,” Sokka says for the fifth time that afternoon. “We could ask The Boulder.”

“That’s the first good idea you’ve had all day, Boomerang Boy,” Toph says, punching him in the shoulder good naturedly.

Sokka pretends his eyes aren’t watering as he leads the group through the city with mock stoicism. The doors to the stadium don’t budge no matter how hard Sokka yanks till Suki gently pulls him aside and pushes them open, holding them until everyone is inside. The fighters are in between matches currently, stretching and chugging water from their canteens. Toph leads the way confidently, following the echo of the Boulder’s voice. He denies knowledge of any underground fighting rings, or who could have started the rumor, and it’s determined he’s telling the truth. They grill everyone in the place until Toph is confident that nobody there knows anything. “I don’t know, it’s probably fine. Can we go get some lunch now, please? I’m starving,” She complains as they walk out.

Sokka relents but insists that he continue the search by himself. His ponytail has started to come undone along with his mental state. He’s been ridiculously stubborn all day about finding answers, and it’s clear he needs to do something about his rapidly dwindling blood sugar. They drag him to a restaurant where he comes back to himself as soon as the scent of pig chicken skewers hits his nose. “Let’s go back after this,” Suki says through a mouthful of rice. “We’re not going to find any answers if none of those guys know. Besides, we’re focusing on the wrong thing here. We need to figure out what happened to Zuko.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sokka sighs. “I wonder if Iroh has anything. He likes antiques, right? Maybe he has something that could give us some answers.”

“Ugh, count me out. Iroh has too many scrolls for my taste,” Toph says.

“Not a big reader?” Suki asks.

“No, not really,” Toph replies grumpily.

“Oh, right. Sorry,” Suki says.

Toph waves her off. They finish their meal in much higher spirits than usual and head back to the Jasmine Dragon to ask Iroh some questions.

***

At the Western Air Temple, all is quiet as the sun begins to disappear behind the mountains. Aang starts a fire, boiling whatever vegetables and roots he can find in the vicinity. The last time he had been here, here was such a sense of urgency. Now they can just sit. The air takes on a chill as the evening progresses, but it’s warm by the fire, and warmer still when Zuko exhausts himself enough from flying all day that he ends up half asleep by the fire, radiating heat like the sun itself. Mai takes off her robe as the temperature climbs. Her arms are pale and scarred. Katara and Aang know to say nothing. They eat dinner in an amiable silence before Katara ushers Aang away to give Mai and Zuko some space.

Mai watches them disappear deeper into the temple ruins before she turns to Zuko, who’s now awake again, sitting comfortable yet alert like a watchful cat. “Hey, Zuko,” Mai says.

Zuko huffs in acknowledgement -- not a frustrated human one, but a soft draconian exhale -- his eyes trained on her, reflecting the fire. Mai wishes he could respond, and almost considers not continuing with what she wants to say, but she pushes down her anxiety and does it anyway. “I wanted to talk to you. About us,” Mai falters, wishing she had scripted better. “I really like you, Zuko. I’m excited for you. I think this is really important for you. I just… I don’t know if I can be there next to you, you know? My family is involved enough in politics as is. I can’t do more. I want to root for you, but I don’t think I can do it up on stage next to you.” She pauses, looking up at Zuko. His brow is knit but he’s not fully upset. “I think what I’m trying to say is that I just want to be your friend.”

Zuko doesn’t look half as reproachful as she expects him to. He dips his head in respect, then raises a wing for her to sit under. She accepts and eventually falls asleep there, lulled by the fiery aura emanating from him and his deep, even breaths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter than expected, but big things to come next time!


	3. Chapter 3

They return to the Jasmine Dragon in the morning, finding Sokka, Suki, and Iroh all sitting cross-legged on the basement floor with scrolls scattered around them. Toph is sitting in the corner looking bored. Katara recognizes a few that Sokka had taken from the library. He’s humming a jaunty tune to himself and is engrossed in a particularly old looking scroll. Iroh waves the rest of the group over, inviting them to come sit down among the scrolls and parchment. “What’s going on?” Aang asks, peering over Sokka’s shoulder.

“We’re looking at Iroh’s scrolls to see if there’s anything about dragons,” Sokka answers, then loses his place reading.

“Unfortunately there is not a lot. Sozin did a very thorough job of destroying most traces of our ancestry,” Iroh says sadly.

Zuko is starting to worry that they won’t find anybody when he hears Iroh give a triumphant exclamation. Everyone’s heads whip in his direction. “What did you find?”

Iroh reads what he’s found over again a few times before he speaks. “Well, it looks here like some dragons did not fully disappear when they were killed by Fire Nation warriors. Rather, they walked the plane between the mortal and spirit worlds, angry and vengeful, trying to reclaim human bodies as dragons in anger. They would rampage in the humans’ bodies and it was a form of catharsis for them.”

Zuko’s gut twists. He knows for sure he doesn’t want to hurt anybody. He thought his issues were resolved when Ozai was imprisoned and since he had learned the location of his mother. He feels defensive, too.  _ Am I still so angry? I can’t be, can I?  _ He sinks back down into the cave a little ways.

“Are you okay, my nephew?” Iroh asks.

Zuko shrugs as best he can.

“You should all help yourself to some steamed buns. They’re still warm! I will take it from here.” Iroh says. 

“Good luck,” Aang says, then leads everybody up into the restaurant.

“I think this may be our only chance. It does not say what happens to the human, but it’s worth a shot. In fact, I have an idea. I will meet you outside the wall later. Wait for me there,” Iroh tells Zuko. Iroh is naturally apprehensive about his own plan, but Avatar Roku’s dragon has decided to pay him a visit now and again over the past few days, which has given him some ideas, especially to do with ancient Fire Nation tradition.

***

The shadows are just beginning to stretch when Iroh arrives at the requested meeting spot. The sky is turning peachy orange on the horizon and Zuko is beginning to feel hunger gnawing at the edges of his stomach. He desperately hopes that the next time he eats, it’s not beetles and rodents. Zuko quickly notices Iroh has a bundle in his arms as he approaches -- blood red and gold cloth. His uncle looks wan, suddenly. Like he’s carrying a heavy burden. Realization seizes Zuko soon enough. It’s the ceremonial robe from the Agni Kai with his father. His vision swims and for a second he’s afraid he’s going to pass out. Or vomit. He thought it had been lost as he had been burned, and it was certainly scorched, but intact. He recoils, frills flaring. “I’m so sorry, Zuko, I know it’s painful,” Iroh says. “But that’s why you must destroy it.”

Zuko startles a bit at this. Iroh is one to talk out feelings. This is new from him. There are a million thoughts running through Zuko’s mind, overrun by emotion and panic. He feels himself trembling, but through his fear he channels anger. It feels different, though. Where once he experienced anger that was corrosive, destructive, and gut-sinking, it’s now hot and passionate -- he knows how to channel it, and how to release it. A fire begins to build in his chest, the heat crawling up his throat as the blast develops at the back of his mouth. Iroh drops the robe on the ground, getting out of the way with surprising alacrity for his age. Zuko lets the flame build till it hurts, then expels it with every ounce of strength he has, roaring with all his might. The robe is immediately lost in a rainbow-colored inferno. Zuko and Iroh watch in silence as the robe is reduced to ash. Nothing is happening, and before Zuko knows what he’s doing, he’s stepping through the fiery pillar. It’s hot but it doesn’t burn. It feels almost comforting, like a hot bath, or an embrace. Like Ursa’s embrace -- his mother’s. All he can see is brightness. It feels like his scales are sloughing off in long, satisfying peels, and his baby-pink skin feels hot and tingly. He lets his body relax as the flame does its work, stripping away the layers until it’s just him and him alone. The flames begin to pull away, lapping at the edges of his skin until they’ve completely dwindled. There is no robe anymore. Zuko instinctively reaches for his face, then his chest. The skin is still rough and scarred. But he’s not angered.

He’s relieved.

It’s okay to have these reminders.

***

Aang is the last person Zuko talks to before the coronation, but he’s not the only one. Iroh anxiously stays by his side all day. He needs everything to be perfect for his nephew. Katara, Toph, and Suki congratulate him all together with tight hugs, then Mai with a kiss on the cheek and a clasp of the hands, and then Sokka, clasping him on the shoulder with a twinkle in his eye. Each place where his new friends -- no, family -- have touched him have a firm pressure to them, like their hands are still there, guiding him forward to the balcony. Aang’s hug seals the deal, securing his place in his heart and in his nation.

And Zuko knows as he accepts his headpiece that he will never be leading alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Canon compliant to ATLA but not to TLOK (mostly because I haven't seen it yet!)
> 
> For anybody outside the US, 24 feet is about 7 meters


End file.
